History

June 11, 1946 – After several meetings by interested citizens, a temporary organization to protect Clinton Township was formed. Earl LeGrande served as acting President and Arthur Hughes as acting Secretary.

Officers nominated at the meeting and later elected were: Charles Adams, President; Frank Stover, Vice President; Arthur Hughes, Secretary; Robert Murphy, Treasurer; C.L. Hulsizer, Lester Page and Leonard Waltman, Trustees; Earl LeGrande, Fire Chief; Earl Winder and Stan Bortz, Assistants. The Company Charter was approved by the County Court 8-26-1946.

On June 24, 1946, the company had a membership of 81. On September 16, 1946, C.L. Hulsizer donated all the blocks for a new building and V.L. Albeck and George Thomas were named co-chairman of the building committee.

In December, 1946, Mr. LeGrande resigned due to a change in residence and Richard Cherry was elected Fire Chief, serving until 1950. During this time, the contract for the Howe pumper, on a Chevrolet chassis was signed. The chassis was donated by C.L. Hulsizer. He returned the money given to him by the fire company and directed that it be used to pay for the conversion of the chassis into a fire pumper.

The building was started by the members on May 17, 1948 on a lot purchased from Fred Tebbs. The 30 x 60 foot building was completed on January 1, 1949.

The initial meeting of the Clinton Township Volunteer Fire Company Auxiliary was held at the Hulsizer garage on September 10, 1946 with Mrs. Arthur Hughes as acting chairman. Nomination of officers was opened and the following were elected: Mrs. Arthur Hughes, President; Mrs. Elmer Fetterman, Vice-President; Mrs. Selma Buck, Secretary; Mrs. John Bartlett, Treasurer; Mrs. Charles Wagner, Assistant Secretary; Mrs. Burrell Houseknecht, Mrs. Richard Cherry and Mrs. Joseph Goldstein, Trustees.

In the following years, through the cooperation and help of the Auxiliary in fund raising campaigns, the company expanded. Some of the most noteworthy improvements to the property were as follows: a two bay truck room was added to the building in 1954 to make room for the company’s equipment truck which was purchased in 1953 at the cost of $700 and had been stationed in the Clinton Township Building. The land between the fire hall and the Gulf Station was purchased in November 1955 from Mr. Fred Tebbs at a price of $1,500. Also in November 1955 the company had their first modern communication system with the purchase of two walkie-talkies and a mobile two-way radio, which was installed in the 1946 pumper. This equipment and other units which were added since that time have proved to be one of the major factors in making the Clinton Township Fire Company one of the most effective fire fighting units in the County. In July 1959, the original by-laws were amended to try to improve the membership. Improvements followed and in November 1959, the company received their new 1959, 500 gallon per minute, 500 gallon, Howe pumper, which was on a Chevrolet chassis.

After a number of apartment fires in Montgomery, the company felt the great need for ventilation aids and in April 1961, they purchased two smoke exhaust fans which were some of the first owned by a volunteer fire company in Lycoming County. Smoke masks had already been in use for several years. The company soon realized that the original equipment truck was too small to handle the growing array of fire equipment and decided to obtain a larger truck. A new International, walk-in equipment truck was received in October 1962 at a cost of $3,484.

Heating problems plagued the company and in November 1963, gas heat was installed and in May 1965, aluminum siding was also installed. About this same period, fiber glass insulation was added to the attic area. In June 1966, a new 1966 Howe 750 gallon per minute, 500 gallon, pumper was put into service to replace the original 1946 pumper. Improvements continued and in November 1966 a new roof was laid on the building and in April 1970 a new well had to be drilled. One of the greatest advancements in communication came with the purchase of radio monitors. These receivers are now in almost every active fireman’s home and enable them to know immediately the location of an alarm.

In the past 60+ years, all the advancements of the company had been too numerous to mention. Nevertheless, those advancements were due in no small part to the small army of dedicated men and women who sacrificed many hours with sweat and blood.

In January 1972, a truck committee was formed to draw up specs for a tanker. This tanker will prove to be an invaluable asset to our Fire Company and community.

In March 1972, the company voted to purchase the land behind the fire hall measuring 150 x 300 from Fred Tebbs for $750.

In May 1972, the company voted to purchase a 1500 gallon tanker from Howe on a Chevrolet chassis for delivery in June 1973 for a purchase price of $22,500.

Our community was devastated during June 1972 by the Agnes flood. Our fire department worked hand-in-hand with neighboring fire companies and our fellow citizens of our community. This will be a memory none of us will forget.

During the Agnes flood, we lost our fire dispatcher Charles M. Collin who passed away. Charlie served our fire company for 6 years. We were fortunate to find a replacement so soon. Within a few days we contacted Charles Winder to handle these duties.

1973 was a year filled with various types of fund raising projects as is every year to help with the cost of the new tanker that we put into service in July.

The Ladies Auxiliary donated $1000 toward the price of our tanker which put us over the top of the amount of money needed to once again let us pay cash for our tanker. A special thanks was given to our ladies auxiliary.

1974 saw a lot of changes in our fire company lot. We received fill dirt and debris from the demolition of properties in Montgomery. 1974 saw the hope of the County starting a county communications center which had been talked about for several years. It appears the communications center is in the foreseeable future. We are especially eager to have a county communications center because we have had to replace our fire dispatcher once again. Charles Winder had asked to be relieved of this job and once again we had to look for a replacement. Elizabeth Decker accepted this responsibility in September 1974. Thank you Elizabeth.

In 1975 we were continuing to get fill dirt from the borough demolition projects which had helped us tremendously.

The County communications center has not been implemented yet but it appears it will be in operation within the next few months.

The company is discussing the purchase of a new engine to replace our 1959, possibly in 1979 or 1980 at a cost of approximately $30,000.

This was a prosperous year for our company. We conducted many different types of fund raising projects again as usual.

We, along with all the fire departments in the county, received the “Grit Award” for outstanding community service.

1976 found a truck committee appointed to look into specs and the cost of purchasing a new engine. We were also involved in many various bicentennial functions throughout the year.

At our banquet in 1976, we dedicated our social building in memory of C.L. Hulsizer who was instrumental in the formation of our fire department. A plaque was placed on the social building which read “In memory of C.L. Hulsizer for his guidance and many contributions which made the Clinton Township Fire Company possible – 1946.”

The county communications system was finally initiated and we now enjoy the satisfaction of not being plagued with replacing our dispatcher. The county system seems to be working well.

A plaque was presented to Elizabeth Decker for her service to our department and community service, September 1976. Thanks again Elizabeth.

1977 found the membership busy getting remodeling supplies added to our building. We insulated ceilings, walls, etc.

We made many purchases of equipment this year, nozzles, still ventilation saw, 6 new SCBA masks, radios, just to mention a few.

The company approved the purchase of a new engine at an approximate cost of $56,000.

This was the first year for the new county communications system and everything has been working rather well.

1978 found us very busy again with fund raising projects and fund drives to help purchase our new engine, expected delivery in the Spring of 1979.

We amended our by-laws and one major change was to give any active member with 25 years continuous service a paid up life membership.

We purchased the remainder of the ground behind the fire hall from the Fred Tebbs estate for $1000.

We also acquired a four wheel drive surplus vehicle through Civil Defense. It is to be used upon completion as a brush truck.

In 1979, we received our new engine for a total price of $60,260.00 which was officially placed in service on September 17. The new engine was a Chevy Chassis with a fire engine conversion performed by Grumman. It had a 1000 gallon per minute pump with 500 gallons of water. This was the first fire engine ever owned by CTVFC that had a top mounted pump panel, “jump” seating behind the cab, and an o- board generator with two large flood lights mounted to the truck.

We were busy again raising money to pay for this new engine and once again we met our financial obligations without having to borrow any money.

We were busy renovating and remodeling our building to make room to house our equipment.

Our four wheel drive brush truck is being worked on and progress is being made, but it is slow – “someday”!

In 1980, we broke ground once again for an addition to our building which measured 48 x 24, two story. The building did not get completed in 1980, but it was finished in the Spring of 1981. It had apparatus bays on the ground floor, and the upstairs portion contained a meeting room, bathroom, and a recreational area for the members.

We found ourselves updating all of our radio equipment to multi-channel along with purchasing 4 new radios. We purchased a quick responder kit to help our EMTs to better serve our department and community with medical emergencies.

We formed a junior fireman program this year for the youth in our community.

In 1980, the State passed legislation that pays death benefits to the families of volunteer firemen in the amount of $25,000 that are the result of fire company emergencies.

As we looked ahead into the 1980’s, we saw nothing but good for the future of our progressive fire department and community.

In 1982, the Company purchased a Mako Breathing air compressor to enable us to refill our SCBA cylinders at the station after their use. This greatly enhanced our training with air packs since it suddenly became much more convenient to have them refilled.

In May of 1985 a devastating tornado ripped across the valley and CTVFC members worked hand in hand with neighboring departments from the County to assist the residents that were affected in Washington, Brady, Clinton, Townships in Lycoming County and Delaware and Gregg Townships in Union and Northumberland Counties.

In 1986 CTVFC purchased a used rescue truck from the Kimberton Volunteer Fire Company in PA. This truck had an on-board generator, ample amounts of flood lighting and it contained the first ever mobile cascade system on it that allowed us to refill our breathing air tanks right at the scene of a fire. It also carried spare SCBA cylinders on board. This truck has been renamed “Utility 12” and has seen its fair share of responses over its lifetime with us.

In the mid 80’s, the Company purchased the first five inch hose for use in the Company. It had a totally new thread system called a “Storz-Lock” and it revolutionized the way we moved water at a fire.

In 1987, a committee was formed to add a new fire pumper to the Company. This truck would be the first ever Diesel engine powered apparatus and it would also be the first fire engine with an automatic transmission. This caused a great controversy amongst the members of the Company. Several felt that a diesel/automatic would “never pull the hills” in the area. After several meetings, a contract with the Sutphen Corporation was signed and the truck was ordered at a cost of $168,000. The new engine was a 1500 gallon per minute pump and a 750 gallon tank. It turned out that the members fell in love with this truck. It fought its first fire in Muncy at the former “Mode-craft” building before the radio was even installed in it. It was specially called to pump water through five inch hose from the Muncy boat access along the river through other engines and hose for nearly a mile. The truck performed flawlessly for over 24 hours continuous pumping.

In 1988, tragedy occurred in Clinton Township along the Susquehanna River near an area known as “Sandy Beach”. A car carrying two children somehow rolled into the swollen, raging, river and the children and their mother perished. Several attempts were made by SCUBA divers from the Williamsport area to reach the submerged car and eventually it was found and removed with the help of a wrecker. A week long search of the river was made and eventually, all of the victims were recovered. It was due to this tragedy that then Chief, Ken McClintock, established a dive team within the Clinton Twp. Fire Company. Along with the assistance and training of Randy Young of Susquehanna Scuba Center in Sunbury, Pa, 12 members of CTVFC were trained and equipped to perform SCUBA rescues and recoveries. They were trained to dive to depths of 130 feet, under ice, in extreme cold temperatures, and in conditions where there was not any visibility. They learned how to communicate with ropes while underwater and to search large bodies of water quickly and effectively. After the team was established and training was complete, CTVFC purchased the first ever water rescue boat in the Company. It was a Grumman 20 foot, aluminum boat with a 90 hp jet engine on it.

The divers have responded to many communities since their inception. Most notably, we responded to the Dalmatia area to recover a plane that had crashed into the river during the winter. Two CTVFC divers were able to float the plane with inner tubes to remove it from the river while many other divers could not stay in the water due to the extreme cold. It was only due to the new neoprene “dry-suits” that the CTVFC divers were wearing that kept them from feeling the effects of the cold water. We have responded to the Bloomsburg area to assist the Pennsylvania State police in recovering weapons used during a crime from a creek. We have also responded to Raystown Lake several times to assist dive teams in that area with searches and recoveries of drowning victims there.

During 1993, a committee was formed to replace the 1980 Grumman engine and the 1973 Tanker with a new pumper/tanker. Once again, the Sutphen Corporation of Ohio was contracted to provide the apparatus which was the first enclosed cab apparatus owned by the Company. It has a 1500 gallon per minute pump and 1250 gallons of water.

In 1996 a devastating flood occurred in the Susquehanna Valley. Once again, CTVFC was called to many areas of the County to assist with the rescue of trapped people due to rising flood waters. We nearly lost three of our divers along the Lycoming Creek when the jet head sucked a large pine branch into the impeller, thus limiting the ability of the boat to move in the raging waters. It was repaired later that day after we were able to get it out of the water. During rescues late that night, our jet engine on the boat jammed again with ice and stranded two CTVFC members in the flood waters. A US Army “Chinook” helicopter retrieved them from the water and the boat was finally recovered by our divers two days later. The decision was then made to remove the jet drive and replace it with a propeller driven engine.

In 1996 the Company took possession of the first hydraulic rescue tools ever owned by them. An Amkus extrication system consisting of the Gas powered hydraulic pump with two sets of hoses, a 28 inch spreader, an “O” cutter, and the accessory chain kits were delivered and placed into service. Over the years, an electric powered hydraulic pump capable of running two tools at once was added. We have also included two hydraulic rams and a combination cutter/spreader to our extrication arsenal.

On January 17 1997, CTVFC members were dispatched to what would be considered one of the worst alarms one could ever receive, a structure fire was reported at the fire station. With the help of neighboring fire companies, the fire was contained to the social hall area of the fire station. Once again, Hulsizer’s Chevrolet came to the rescue of the Company and allowed us to house our apparatus in their garage for the weekend. We were able to save all of our apparatus. The members worked diligently to close off the damaged area and to restore heat and power to the building. We are very proud of the fact that WE WERE NEVER OUT OF SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY during this period. In fact, we held bingo in the building the next Saturday night.

After the fire, a committee was formed to explore the reconstruction of the fire station. After much thought and exploration, it was determined that the old building could not be restored and brought into compliance with the building codes or the Pa Dept. of Labor and Industry standards that needed to be met. By May of 1998, the new building was turned over to the membership and it has served our community and the Company well.

1998 was the first year for the annual Beatlesfest fundraiser with CTVFC. This event has grown over the years to become a great fund raiser for the Company

In 1999, the Company approached the Clinton Township Supervisors about increasing the dedicated fire tax in the Township to provide additional funding for the Company. This was quite controversial in the community with a small but vocal group, led by members of a neighboring fire company, who were opposed to the idea. Initially, the matter was defeated, but then it was eventually approved and the Fire Tax was established at 1 mill thus providing approximately $70,000 per year at that time, to the Company. The fire tax cost the typical homeowner $1.00 per every thousand dollars of assessed value of their home. In 1999 the average assessed value was $62,500 in Clinton Township and each homeowner paid $62.50 per year to support the Fire Company. This did NOT eliminate our need to raise funds on our own to provide the services that we do.

In 2002, CTVFC purchased a used Sutphen 100 foot Tower truck from the City of Longview, Texas. The truck was completely refurbished and placed into service. This is the first truck of its kind in the Company and it has become an invaluable asset to our Company. In the past, we relied on this type of apparatus coming great distances to provide assistance to us.

On July 28, 2002, CTVFC placed its first ever ambulance into service to serve the Township of Clinton. This was done for a myriad of reasons but first and foremost was to be able to provide a much needed service to our residents in a cost effective way that ensured that no one would ever need to worry about the cost of an ambulance trip. Within the first year of service, we expanded our primary response area to include the Townships of Brady and Washington in Lycoming County.

In 2003, the single worst “loss of life” vehicle accident in Lycoming County occurred in Clinton Township on Route 15 South of the Penn DOT Stockpile. It involved a van full of Chinese educators that lost control, went down an embankment, and struck a tree. 7 men were killed instantly. With the help of our State Representative and the News Media, CTVFC fought Penn DOT to improve safety on this stretch of roadway by installing guide rails along the road.

In 2004, we received a Federal Fire Act Grant in the amount of $128,000 that was used to replace all of our SCBA or breathing air masks. It also provided for us to have 20 of these units instead of the 11 that we previously had. This gave us more firemen available to go into dangerous atmospheres to fight fire and perform rescues than ever before. We also purchased 30 complete sets of firefighting gear for the members with the newest type available. Before this, we had three or four different types and colors of gear for the members to wear. The grant also provided us with 30 new portable radios. This allowed us to provide every member with a portable radio which effectively improved the overall safety of the members working at incidents by ensuring that everyone could communicate with each other in an emergency.

In 2004, a second ambulance was purchased to meet the ever increasing demands upon our service.

In 2005, the present Tanker truck was donated to the Company by the supervisors of Brady Township to replace our aging 1973 Tanker. The “new” tanker was manufactured by Mountain High Equipment in Walla Walla Washington at a cost of $62,000. President Ron Winder and Chief Todd Winder flew to Washington State and drove the truck across the country. The members installed the lights, siren, and equipment saving additional costs. We cannot thank the Brady Township Supervisors enough for this piece of equipment. It has made a significant impact on our ability to fight fires in areas not served by fire hydrants. Those Supervisors were, Timothy Bower, Ray LaForme, and “Jake” Masser.

A building renovation was started this year. We closed in one of the engine bays and added a training and conference room on the ground floor. This gives us a dedicated space for officer meetings, EMS trainings, and can be used by small groups in the community for meetings. The second floor portion was constructed into a bunk room with 6 beds for firemen to use in the event that severe storms or flooding events require us to man our station for long periods of time. The original meeting room was converted into office space to be shared by the administrative officers and the fire chiefs. Previously, there were no offices in the new building. We also constructed an EMS room that contains all of our EMS supplies and provides a space for ambulance crews to perform their record keeping tasks. All of this was made possible through a grant and the labor was performed by members of the Company.

In 2006 a wheelchair van was purchased to provide this type of transport service to those that need it. This unit is also used to transport supplies, manpower, and equipment to training or incidents whenever it is needed.

In 2007, CTVFC with the help of a grant purchased an Oxygen generator and refilling station for the ambulance service’s use. This machine generates medical grade Oxygen and has the ability to fill cylinders at a high pressure. This machine allows us to refill our Oxygen cylinders at the fire station without the need to transport them to a dealer and pay for costs associated with filling the cylinders. Due to this purchase, we were also able to provide Oxygen to the Washington Twp. Fire Company for their use in the Quick Response Service Vehicle that responds to medical emergencies and vehicle accidents. We provide Oxygen to the Montgomery Area School District for use by the school nurse’s office. We provide Oxygen to the Lycoming County Resource Management (Landfill) Safety Team and the Safety Team at Construction Specialties Corporation in Clinton Twp. All of this is at no charge to the recipients.

We found ourselves out of room in our kitchen to provide food preparation and storage space when we cater banquets and dinners. An addition was built onto the fire station at the rear to house a larger kitchen. This was a 24 by 50 foot addition that was built primarily by the members, yet again saving money.

With the assistance of yet another grant, we were able to purchase a trailer and named it our Special Response Unit. This trailer carries specialized equipment that is used to clean up hazardous material spills and various other duties. This equipment is not used very frequently and it made sense to put it into a trailer that could be used when needed to alleviate the congestion in compartments on the other apparatus.

2008 is upon us and again we are in the early process of forming a committee to replace two of our trucks. Our Rescue and Utility truck are overflowing and need to be replaced with one efficient piece of equipment.

We are confident that this and all other challenges that face us will be met with the same courage and conviction that has sustained us since the beginning. We will continue to grow and meet the demands placed upon us by those in the communities that we serve.